Where to look for protection from enemies and evil tongues, if not from the Lord and His Great Army - Angels, Archangels and Holy Saints. Only prayer given with zeal from enemies and evil people can crush the cruelty of hearts and repel the demonic machinations. Orthodox Christians kneel and ask Archangel Michael, God's Archangel, for salvation from corruption, envious people and the softening of anger in human souls. And they cry to the Mother of God to soften the murmur of ill-wishers and give her mercy and grace. A prayer to the Mother of God for protection will return the poison to the one who started the enmity.
God's Army - protection from the devil's machinations
- Archangel Michael is one of the four Archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Ariel, Raphael), standing guard over the Throne of the Lord and the entire Universe created by him. The word “Mi ka el” literally translates as “Who is like God.” These four Archangels are also called the Lord’s army, for they had to fight with Satan himself in order to prevent him from becoming the ruler of humanity and not allowing the absolute evil of demonic omnipotence. They are formidable messengers of God, which is why they are called upon for protection from enemies and evil tongues.
- Archangel – means “senior messenger”. Archangel Michael was entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining world order and protecting the peoples who accepted the Lord from satanic machinations - corruption, witchcraft, the black pestilence, the malice of human hearts that accepted the will of the devil.
- The prayer from enemies, visible and invisible, offered to Archangel Michael is a prayer to him for salvation from the attacks of offenders, the slander of envious people, help in work and in relationships with people. The Holy Warrior of God will protect you from slander, gossip, discussions, from enemies and evil tongues, from witchcraft, magic and devilish plans.
- Orthodox Christians offer protective prayers to Archangel Michael because, according to legend, Michael descended into the Underworld, accompanying Jesus in his difficult feat of liberating human hearts from the depths of hell. Christ entrusted liberated souls to the Archangel so that they could become purer and kinder, worthy of the grace of the Gardens of Eden.
It is very important to realize that when saying prayers from evil people, from enemies and evil tongues, you yourself need to maintain kindness in your soul and avoid bad thoughts. After all, the most powerful and effective prayers from enemies are not able to protect you from demonic machinations and failures if you do not maintain the purity of your own hearts. Only goodness gives birth to goodness and grace, and bad deeds cannot defeat the poison of anger.
When offering prayers to Archangel Michael in search of salvation from enemies and evil tongues, do not allow very strong curses and slander even in the depths of your thoughts. Because by allowing evil to become the dominant feeling inside you, you end up following its lead, multiplying it. Make an effort on yourself - forgive the offender for his evil, and before your eyes he will be returned to his deeds. The rest will be the concern of Michael - God's Guardian will return evil to the one who generates it.
Text of the prayer to Archangel Michael for intercession.
“Oh, Saint Michael the Archangel, bright and formidable commander of the Heavenly King!
Have mercy on us sinners who require your intercession!
Save us, servants of God (list names), from all visible and invisible enemies,
Moreover, strengthen us from the horror of mortals and from the embarrassment of the devil
and vouchsafe us to appear shamelessly before our Creator at the hour of His terrible and righteous Judgment.
Oh, all-holy, great Michael the Archangel!
Do not despise us sinners who pray to you for your help and intercession in this century and the future,
but grant us there, together with you, to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
Amen".
Mother of God - protector and patroness
A strong, earnest prayer against evil, addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos, will defeat all evil plans of the enemy, for no one can compare with the Heavenly Patroness. Exalt your aspirations for protection to her, and your enemies will bite their evil tongues, ceasing to exude the poison of enmity. Her help will help you become invulnerable against visible and secret plans - damage, magical obsessions, envious people at work or the malice of enemy hearts.
When prayer to the Heavenly Patroness is necessary
Prayer from enemies addressed to the Mother of God is a very strong protection, giving confidence and peace of mind. Orthodox Christians have always respected the Heavenly Mother, for she has shown herself to be a loving savior of everyone oppressed and unjustly offended. She has come many times to the aid of those who demand Her great mercy and protection from gossip, envy, witchcraft and corruption.
- Problems at work - gossip, intrigue, grievances, conspiracies.
- Quarrels with neighbors and friends.
- Manifestations of pagan witchcraft are damage sent by enemies, demons, brownies.
- Manifestations of anger from loved ones.
- Cruelty of spouses - unexpected outbursts of anger.
- Very tense relationships with others - slander, manifestation of anger.
In this case, a prayer to the Heavenly Queen for protection from failures and manifestations of aggression can tame the evil of hearts and neutralize the one who is trying to harm you with the help of damage. When faced with troubles, do not become despondent and do not panic - the Lord will arrange everything, place your aspirations on His Saints and Heavenly Patrons.
Text of the prayer to the Mother of God for protection and salvation
“Receive, O all-powerful, Most Pure Lady Theotokos, these honorable gifts, the only ones applied to You, from us, Your unworthy servants: chosen from all generations, the highest of all creatures of heaven and earth, who appeared, because for Your sake the Lord Almighty was with us, and with You by knowing the Son of God and becoming worthy of His holy Body and His most pure Blood; Blessed are you, too, in the birth of generations, O God-blessed One, the brightest of the Cherubim and the most honest of the Seraphim. And now, all-sung Most Holy Theotokos, do not cease praying for us, Thy unworthy servants, that we may be delivered from every evil council and every situation and that we may be preserved unharmed from every poisonous pretext of the devil; but even to the end, through Your prayers, keep us uncondemned, as if through Your intercession and help we are saved, we send glory, praise, thanksgiving and worship for everything in the Trinity to the One God and the Creator of all, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen".
Icon of the Mother of God “Seven Arrows” - protection from human malice
“The Seven Arrows” is one of the very powerful icons that tames human anger. The arrows in the hands of the Most Pure One are aimed against everyone who plans evil and cruel things. If you need protection from enemies and an evil tongue that works deceit against you and plots intrigues, ask the Mother of God for protection. “Seven Shot” has the glory of counteracting all hard-heartedness and evil intent.
- The icon should be placed so that it is facing the one who is intriguing or plotting evil against you. If there are troubles at work, then place the icon nearby so that its holy face confuses the attacker and confuses his plans and thoughts.
- In the house, the “Seven Shot” is placed above the threshold, then the villain who enters will see it and will be afraid to do evil.
- Prayer offered daily from evil people in front of the “Seven Arrow” icon will protect the house from the invasion of negative thoughts and witchcraft damage. The Holy Spirit will make the presence of any evil in your home intolerable.
- To receive grace from the Mother of God, be sure to keep the lamp lit while offering prayers and on days of veneration of the Queen of Heaven.
She will see your sincere words and come to the rescue, for the kind heart of the Mother of God cannot remain deaf to pleas for protection. Read the “Seven Shot” prayer every time you see a person you don’t like or someone you suspect of malicious intent.
A short prayer to the Seven Arrows icon
“O who will not please Thee, O Blessed Virgin, who will not sing of Thy mercy to the human race. We pray to you, we ask you, do not leave us perishing in evil, dissolve our hearts with love and send your arrow to our enemies, may our hearts be wounded by peace against those who persecute us. If the world hates us - You extend Your love to us, if the world persecutes us - You accept us, give us the grace-filled strength of patience - to endure the trials that happen in this world without grumbling. Oh, Lady! Soften the hearts of evil people who rise up against us, so that their hearts do not perish in evil - but pray, O Blessed One, Thy Son and our God, may he pacify their hearts with peace, but let the devil - the father of evil - be put to shame! We, singing Thy mercy towards us, the evil, the indecent, will sing to Thee, O Most Wonderful Lady of the Blessed Virgin, hear us at this hour, those who have contrite hearts, protect us with peace and love for each other and for our enemies, eradicate from us all malice and enmity, let us sing to You and Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: Alleluia! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
The Life-Giving Cross - protection from the boss’s anger
On the cross, Jesus accepted his martyrdom, for this was His great duty and the command of the Most High. Christ did not dare to contradict his Heavenly Father; he understood the great plan of his fate - to suffer from enemies and evil tongues in order to heal humanity from vices and cleanse the earth from blatant sin.
In the same way, while enjoying the blessings of our existence, we have to endure a lot, including the hard-heartedness of our boss at work. Prayer from evil people, calling on the power of the Life-Giving Cross, is capable of breaking all hatred and deliberate malice.
- Keep a holy image of the Life-Giving Cross at your workplace.
- Read the prayer in every troubled moment - before communicating with an unpleasant person or after a quarrel.
- Ask the Lord to reason with the hard-hearted person, granting him your forgiveness. Only in forgiveness will you find salvation from evil, for good begets good.
- Also read Psalms 57, 72, 74. Their power will tame all wickedness and cruelty intended against you.
Remember! Any prayers must be supported by your sincere faith and diligence in fulfilling the canons of Orthodoxy. It is impossible to receive blessings and mercy without trying.
Text of the prayer to the Life-Giving Cross
“May God rise again, and may His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence. As smoke disappears, let them disappear, as wax melts from the face of fire, so let demons perish from the face of those who love God and signify themselves with the sign of the cross, and who say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by force of our Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified on you. , who descended into hell and trampled upon the power of the devil, and who gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Virgin Mary and with all the saints forever. Amen".
A short prayer from enemies for emergencies
At any moment, something may happen that you will not have time to properly concentrate and pray. For such a case, you can quickly say a short prayer-spell:
Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.
You can also always turn to your Guardian Angel for intercession in an emergency situation. As in any appeal to Heaven, the most important thing is sincere and unshakable faith!
Be healthy and happy!
God gave people the Ten Commandments back in Old Testament times. They were given in order to protect people from evil, to warn about the danger that sin brings. The Lord Jesus Christ established the New Testament, gave us the Gospel law, the basis of which is love: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.(John 13:34) and holiness: be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect(Mt 5:48). The Savior did not abolish the observance of the Ten Commandments, but elevated people to the highest level of spiritual life. In the Sermon on the Mount, talking about how a Christian should build his life, the Savior gives nine beatitudes. These commandments no longer speak of the prohibition of sin, but of Christian perfection. They tell how to achieve bliss, what virtues bring a person closer to God, for only in Him can a person find true joy. The Beatitudes not only do not cancel the Ten Commandments of the Law of God, but wisely complement them. It is not enough simply not to commit a sin or to expel it from our soul by repenting of it. No, we need to have in our souls the virtues that are opposite to sins. It is not enough not to do evil, you must do good. Sins create a wall between us and God; when the wall is destroyed, we begin to see God, but only a moral Christian life can bring us closer to Him.
Here are the nine commandments that the Savior gave us as a guide to Christian deed:
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: just as they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
First commandment
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
What does it mean to be beggars spirit, and why such people are blessed? Saint John Chrysostom says: “What does it mean: poor in spirit? Humble and contrite in heart.
He called the soul and disposition of man Spirit.<...>Why didn't He say: humble, but said beggars? Because the latter is more expressive than the former; He calls here poor those who fear and tremble at the commandments of God, whom God also calls through the prophet Isaiah pleasing to Himself, saying: to whom will I look: to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and to him who trembles at My word?(Isaiah 66:2)” (“Conversations on St. Matthew the Evangelist.” 25.2). Moral antipode poor in spirit is a proud person who considers himself spiritually rich.
Spiritual poverty means humility, seeing your true state. Just as an ordinary beggar has nothing of his own, but dresses in what is given and eats alms, so we must realize: everything we have we receive from God. This is not ours, we are only stewards of the property that the Lord has given us. He gave it so that it would serve the salvation of our soul. You can not be a poor person, but you can be poor in spirit, humbly accept what God gives us and use it to serve the Lord and people. Everything is from God. Not only material wealth, but also health, talents, abilities, life itself - all this is exclusively a gift from God, for which we must thank Him. You can't do anything without Me(John 15:5), the Lord tells us. The fight against sins and the acquisition of good deeds are impossible without humility. We do all this only with the help of God.
It is promised to the poor in spirit, to the humble in wisdom Kingdom of heaven. People who know that everything they have is not their merit, but the gift of God, which needs to be increased for the salvation of the soul, will perceive everything sent as a means of achieving the Kingdom of Heaven.
Second Commandment
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn. Crying can be caused by completely different reasons, but not all crying is a virtue. The commandment to mourn means repentant crying for one’s sins. Repentance is so important because without it it is impossible to get closer to God. Sins prevent us from doing this. The first commandment of humility already leads us to repentance, lays the foundation for spiritual life, for only a person who feels his weakness and poverty before the Heavenly Father can realize his sins and repent of them. The Gospel prodigal son returns to the Father's house, and, of course, the Lord will accept everyone who comes to Him and wipe away every tear from his eyes. Therefore, “blessed are those who mourn (for sins), for they will be comforted(emphasis added. - Auto.)". Every person has sins, without sin there is only God, but we have been given the greatest gift from God - repentance, the opportunity to return to God, ask Him for forgiveness. It was not for nothing that the Holy Fathers called repentance the second baptism, where we wash away our sins not with water, but with tears.
Blessed tears can also be called tears of compassion, empathy for our neighbors, when we are imbued with their grief and try to help them in any way we can.
Third Commandment
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are the meek. Meekness is a peaceful, calm, quiet spirit that a person has acquired in his heart. This is submission to the will of God and the virtue of peace in the soul and peace with others. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light(Matthew 11:29-30), the Savior teaches us. He was submissive in everything to the will of the Heavenly Father, He served people and accepted suffering with meekness. He who has taken upon himself the good yoke of Christ, who follows His path, who seeks humility, meekness, and love, will find peace and tranquility for his soul both in this earthly life and in the life of the next century. Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria writes: “Some by the word earth mean spiritual land, that is, heaven, but you also mean this earth. Since the meek are usually considered despicable and devoid of importance, He says that they primarily have everything.” Meek and humble Christians, without war, fire or sword, despite terrible persecution from the pagans, were able to convert the entire vast Roman Empire to the true faith.
The great Russian saint, Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, said: “Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved.” He himself fully acquired this peaceful spirit, greeting everyone who came to him with the words: “My joy, Christ is risen!” There is an episode from his life when robbers came to his forest cell, wanting to rob the elder, thinking that the visitors were bringing him a lot of money. Saint Seraphim was chopping wood in the forest at that time and stood with an ax in his hands. Having weapons and possessing great physical strength, he did not want to offer resistance to those who came. He placed the ax on the ground and folded his arms across his chest. The villains grabbed an ax and brutally beat the old man with its butt, breaking his head and breaking his bones. Not finding the money, they fled. The Monk Seraphim barely made it to the monastery. He was ill for a long time and remained bent over until the end of his days. When the robbers were caught, he not only forgave them, but also asked to be released, saying that if this was not done, he would leave the monastery. This is how amazingly meek this man was.
Fourth Commandment
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
There are different ways to thirst and seek the truth. There are certain people who can be called truth-seekers: they are constantly indignant at the existing order, seek justice everywhere and write complaints, and come into conflict with many. But this commandment is not talking about them. This means a completely different truth.
It is said that one should desire truth as food and drink: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. That is, very much like a hungry and thirsty person endures suffering until his needs are satisfied. What truth is being said here? About the highest, Divine Truth. A the highest Truth, Truth is Christ. I am the way and the truth and the life(John 14:6), He says about Himself. Therefore, a Christian must seek the true meaning of life in God. In Him alone is the true source of living water and Divine Bread, which is His Body.
The Lord left us the word of God, which sets forth the Divine teaching, the truth of God. He created the Church and put into it everything necessary for salvation. The Church is also the bearer of truth and correct knowledge about God, the world and man. This is the truth that every Christian should thirst for, reading the Holy Scriptures and being edified by the works of the Fathers of the Church.
Those who are zealous about prayer, about doing good deeds, about saturating themselves with the word of God, truly “thirst for righteousness” and, of course, will receive saturation from the ever-flowing Source - our Savior - both in this century and in the future.
Fifth Commandment
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Mercy, mercy- these are acts of love towards others. In these virtues we imitate God Himself: Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful(Luke 6:36). God sends His mercies and gifts to both righteous and unrighteous, sinful people. He rejoices about one sinner who repents, rather than about ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent(Luke 15:7).
And he teaches us all the same selfless love, so that we do acts of mercy not for the sake of reward, not expecting to receive something in return, but out of love for the person himself, fulfilling the commandment of God.
By doing good deeds to people, as creation, the image of God, we thereby bring service to God Himself. The Gospel gives an image of the Last Judgment, when the Lord will separate the righteous from the sinners and say to the righteous: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him: Lord! when did we see you hungry and feed you? or to the thirsty and gave them something to drink? when did we see you as a stranger and accept you? or naked and clothed? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You? And the King will answer them: Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.(Mt 25:34-40). Therefore it is said that " gracious themselves will be pardoned" And on the contrary, those who did not do good deeds will have nothing to justify themselves at God’s judgment, as stated in the same parable about the Last Judgment.
Sixth Commandment
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the pure in heart, that is, pure in soul and mind from sinful thoughts and desires. It is important not only to avoid committing a sin in a visible way, but also to refrain from thinking about it, because any sin begins with a thought, and only then materializes into action. From the heart of man come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy.(Matthew 15:19), says the word of God. Not only bodily impurity is a sin, but first of all impurity of the soul, spiritual defilement. A person may not take anyone’s life, but burn with hatred for people and wish them death. Thus, he will destroy his own soul, and subsequently may even go as far as murder. Therefore, the Apostle John the Theologian warns: Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer(1 John 3:15). A person who has an unclean soul and unclean thoughts is a potential committer of already visible sins.
If your eye is pure, then your whole body will be bright; if your eye is evil, then your whole body will be dark(Mt 6:22-23). These words of Jesus Christ are spoken about the purity of the heart and soul. A clear eye is sincerity, purity, holiness of thoughts and intentions, and these intentions lead to good deeds. And vice versa: where the eye and heart are blinded, dark thoughts reign, which will later become dark deeds. Only a person with a pure soul and pure thoughts can approach God, see His. God is seen not with bodily eyes, but with the spiritual vision of a pure soul and heart. If this organ of spiritual vision is clouded, spoiled by sin, a person will not see the Lord. Therefore, you need to refrain from unclean, sinful, evil thoughts, drive them away as if they were coming from the enemy, and cultivate bright, kind thoughts in your soul. These thoughts are cultivated by prayer, faith and hope in God, love for Him, for people and for every creation of God.
Seventh Commandment
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are the peacemakers... The commandment to have peace with people and to reconcile those at war is placed very highly in the Gospel. Such people are called children, sons of God. Why? We are all children of God, his creations. There is nothing more pleasant for a father and mother when he knows that his children live in peace, love and harmony among themselves: How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together!(Ps 133:1). And vice versa, how sad it is for a father and mother to see quarrels, strife and enmity between children; at the sight of all this, the parents’ hearts seem to bleed! If peace and good relationships between children please even earthly parents, all the more does our Heavenly Father need us to live in peace. And a person who keeps peace in the family, with people, reconciles those at war, is pleasing and pleasing to God. Not only does such a person receive joy, tranquility, happiness and blessing from God here on earth, he gains peace in his soul and peace with his neighbors, but he will undoubtedly receive a reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Peacemakers will also be called “sons of God” because in their feat they are likened to the Son of God Himself, Christ the Savior, who reconciled people with God, restored the connection that was destroyed by sins and the falling away of humanity from God.
Eighth Commandment
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who are exiled for the sake of truth. The search for Truth, Divine Truth has already been discussed in the fourth beatitude. We remember that Truth is Christ Himself. It is also called Sun of truth. It is about oppression and persecution for the truth of God that this commandment speaks of. The path of a Christian is always the path of a warrior of Christ. The path is complex, difficult, narrow: narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life(Mt 7:14). But this is the only road leading to salvation; we are not given any other way. Of course, living in a raging world that is often very hostile to Christianity is difficult. Even if there is no persecution or oppression for faith, simply living as a Christian, fulfilling God’s commandments, working for God and others is very difficult. It is much easier to live “like everyone else” and “take everything from life.” But we know that this is the path that leads to destruction: wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction(Mt 7:13). And the fact that so many people are following in this direction should not confuse us. A Christian is always different, not like everyone else. “Try to live not as everyone else lives, but as God commands, because... the world lies in evil.” - says the Monk Barsanuphius of Optina. It doesn’t matter if we are persecuted here on earth for our life and faith, because our fatherland is not on earth, but in heaven, with God. Therefore, in this commandment the Lord promises to those persecuted for the sake of righteousness Kingdom of heaven.
Ninth Commandment
Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: just as they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The continuation of the eighth commandment, which speaks of oppression for the truth of God and Christian life, is the last commandment of beatitude. The Lord promises a blessed life to all those persecuted for their faith.
Here it is said about the highest manifestation of love for God - about the readiness to give one’s life for Christ, for one’s faith in Him. This feat is called martyrdom. This path is the highest, it has great reward. This path was indicated by the Savior Himself. He endured persecution, torment, cruel torture and painful death, thereby giving an example to all His followers and strengthening them in their readiness to suffer for Him, even to the point of blood and death, as He once suffered for all of us.
We know that the Church stands on the blood and steadfastness of the martyrs. They defeated the pagan, hostile world, giving their lives and laying them at the foundation of the Church.
But the enemy of the human race does not calm down and constantly initiates new persecutions against Christians. And when the Antichrist comes to power, he will also persecute and persecute the disciples of Christ. Therefore, every Christian must be constantly prepared for the feat of confession and martyrdom.
Prayers from enemies and evil people are very popular. They allow you to install reliable protection and protect yourself from foreign negative influences. It is important to understand that before you pray, you need to get rid of anger and hatred in your own soul. You should read prayers from enemies and evil people in a positive mood, focusing directly on appealing to the Higher powers.
The most powerful prayer from evil people that brings help
There is a powerful daily prayer that allows you to protect yourself from enemies. If you read it every day in the morning, then it forms a reliable protective shield around a person that no machinations of enemies can penetrate.
You should not be mistaken in thinking that you have no enemies for the simple reason that you manage to get along with the people around you. Every person has enemies and enemies. Evil people may wish you harm out of jealousy. Their evil thoughts can destroy a person’s aura and cause trouble, both at the everyday level, and harm health in general.
That is why it should become a rule for every believer to offer the following prayer every morning:
“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal! I ask you to have mercy on me, servant of God (proper name), and grant me your strong protection. Protect me from all visible and invisible evil, cover me from human malice done, conceived or intentional. Order, Lord, to accompany me to my Guardian Angel and take away any troubles and misfortunes from me. Save and preserve me, my Angel, do not allow evil people to inflict spiritual and physical damage on me. Protect me, Almighty and All-Merciful, through kind and positive people. Amen".
There is another strong prayer against all evil, directed to the Savior of the human race, Jesus Christ. It can be read at any time of the day when you have suspicions that someone from your environment is trying to harm you. It needs to be said out loud in a secluded place, but if this is not possible, then the prayer text can be spoken mentally, completely detached from events in the outside world.
The prayer goes like this:
“Lord Almighty, Great Lover of Mankind, All-Merciful Jesus Christ! I, the servant of God (proper name), ask you to keep my mind pure. Keep my thoughts good, God, and help me to cleanse myself of the external filth that my enemies send to me. My prayer is sincere and my request comes from the depths of my heart. I believe in Your protection, Your blessing and I accept Your will. I do not ask for punishment for my enemies, I forgive them. Don’t be angry with them, Lord, but guide them to the true path and remove evil from their souls so that they can no longer harm anyone. Amen".
In Orthodoxy there is a huge variety of prayers from visible and invisible enemies. They will help you get out of a series of troubles and troubles in a variety of life situations. It is very important to believe that prayers will be effective and will help you. It is important to tune in to the positive during prayer and remove evil and hatred from your own soul towards those people who are trying to harm you.
Prayer from enemies at work (or evil bosses)
No one is immune from problems and difficulties at work, but special prayers will help to cope with any difficult situation. Moreover, this method allows good to overcome evil. I read a prayer, you cannot harm another person, just prayer words will take evil away from you. With prayerful words you can pacify your ill-wisher, and his desire to harm you will simply disappear. It is very important to believe that prayer will definitely help stabilize the work situation.
A powerful prayer from enemies at work and an evil boss goes like this:
“Lord, All-Merciful and All-Merciful, Son of God Jesus Christ. Hear the prayer of God's servant (proper name) and do not refuse help. Give me strength to cleanse myself of human anger and envy, do not let me plunge into the abyss of sorrowful days. I believe in your mercy, Lord, and earnestly ask for forgiveness of my voluntary and involuntary sins, which I committed through my own foolishness. I sincerely repent of my sinful actions and thoughts, I atone for my sin for the fact that in my vicious deeds I forgot about the Orthodox faith and turned away from the true path. I ask, Lord, to protect me from my enemies and not allow them to harm me. I humbly accept your will and glorify your name in my prayers. Amen".
There is also a powerful short prayer that allows you to create a talisman for yourself every day. The prayer request must be said mentally immediately after arriving at the workplace.
It sounds like this:
“Lord, I ask you to cleanse my soul from anger and irritation. Grant me patience and prudence, do not allow me to be drawn into intrigue and gossip, protect me from black envy. Amen".
Prayer from evil, enemies and corruption
A special prayer from evil, enemies and damage will reliably protect a believer from all kinds of troubles associated with third-party negativity. Prayers containing an appeal to the Most Holy Theotokos are distinguished by their special protective power. If you feel that you are often exposed to negative programs from your ill-wishers. then buy an icon of the Mother of God “The Tsarina of All” and offer a special protective prayer in front of it.
The prayer appeal goes like this:
“O Most Pure Mother of our Lord, All-Tsarina! Hear the painful and sincere sighing of the Servant of God (proper name). I humbly stand before your image, offering up a prayer for help and protection. Pay attention to my groans and do not leave me without your support in my difficult hour of life. Just as every bird protects its chicks from threats with its wings, so cover me with your protective cover. Become my hope in days of testing, help me survive severe sorrows and preserve my soul. Instill strength in me to resist enemy attacks, grant me patience and wisdom to make the right decisions, do not let despair and weakness take over my soul. May your blessed light shine over me and illuminate my path in life, removing from it all the obstacles and traps placed by evil people and devilish forces. Heal, Holy Mother of God, my mental and physical ailments, brighten my mind, so that I can make the right decisions and resist my enemies, visible and invisible. Pray for me, Heavenly Queen, before your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe in your mercy and hope for your help, I glorify you in my prayers. Amen".
If you feel that damage has awakened feelings of anger and malice in your soul and you cannot cope with them on your own, then you need to read a special prayer to soften evil hearts. With such an appeal you will not only calm yourself and cleanse your soul of negativity, but also soften the hearts of people who want to harm you.
The prayer must be said three times a day for several days in a row.
It sounds like this:
“Most Holy Theotokos, I ask you, servant of God (proper name), to soften evil human hearts, fill them with kindness and compassion. Quench the anger and hatred in our souls, take away sorrow and suffering from us. Before your Holy image, I pray to you about this and I trust only in you. Take away the arrows that pierced our bodies and souls and tormented us. Save us, Most Holy Theotokos, do not let us perish from cruelty and horror, grant our hearts softening. Amen".
You can protect yourself from enemies and envious people with the help of prayer. When praying, it is important not to feel hatred in your soul towards those people who are trying to harm you or are jealous. You need to start praying only after you feel that you have gotten rid of the negativity in your soul. Prayers against envious people and enemies should always be offered in complete solitude. Lighted church candles and aromatic incense will help you get in the right mood.
The most powerful prayer appeal is considered to be the prayer to Saint Cyprian. With its help, you can not only cleanse your aura of negativity, but also provide reliable protection for the future. In order to enhance the effect of this prayer, it is necessary to say a prayer to holy water. After finishing the prayer, you need to take a sip of water yourself and let your household drink it.
The prayer text reads as follows:
“Saint Cyprian, you are known to all believers as a comforter of suffering souls, a faithful saint of God and a true protector of righteous people from evil spells! I pray to you, servant of God (proper name), help me and do not leave me and my household in perdition. Protect us from human envy and anti-God witchcraft. Drive away from us the troubles and misfortunes directed at us by evil people. Don't let them influence our godly life. Grant us the opportunity to live in peace and harmony in order to glorify the name of our All-Merciful Lord and accept His will in everything. Saint Cyprian, hear my sincere prayer and lend a helping hand. Protect us from evil eyes and harmful words. You are my hope and I trust in you with all my heart. Amen".
If you have the feeling that there is an envious person next to you, then you should mentally turn to the Holy Matrona of Moscow for help.
The text goes something like this:
“Oh, Blessed Elder Matrona of Moscow, hear my heartfelt prayer and respond. Ask the Lord to protect me, the Servant of God (proper name) from envious people. Help me, Matronushka, remove all obstacles from my path in life that arise from the strong envy of my enemies. Beg the Lord God for the salvation of my soul. Amen".
Amulet prayer to protect children from evil people
One of the most powerful ways to protect against evil is amulet prayer. The most powerful effect for this case is a special prayer addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos.
“Holy Virgin Mary, Most Holy Theotokos, I turn to you, servant of God (proper name) for help and support! Just as you sought to protect your Son Jesus Christ from all bad weather, so protect me from the anger of unkind people and from an envious glance. Do not let my enemies harm me with bad words and black witchcraft. I pray before your bright image and attract your power to me. Do not refuse me, Most Holy Theotokos, and help me. Protect me from the evil one and give me strength to withstand sinful temptations, keep my soul and body pure. I humbly pray, accept the will of God and glorify your good deeds, Most Holy Theotokos. Amen".
You can also seek protection from human malice from the glorious army of the Lord - the Angels and Archangels. One of the significant ones is the Archangel Michael, who stands at the Throne of God and is the leader of the Heavenly Army.
Prayer from visible and invisible enemies, which is directed to Archangel Michael, allows you to reliably protect yourself from the attacks of evil people and the slander of enemies. This saint will not allow gossip and slander to harm a sincere believer. Prayer to him is a reliable protective barrier for any witchcraft.
It is very important, when offering prayer to Archangel Michael, to maintain spiritual kindness yourself. Only with a pure soul filled with love for your neighbor can you count on your prayer being heard. Before offering a prayer asking for protection, you should make an effort and forgive the offender for all the evil he has done against you.
The text of the prayer reads as follows:
“Oh, Holy Archangel Michael, strong and light-shaped, formidable commander of the King of Heaven! I ask, Servant of God (proper name), your intercession. Have mercy on me, a sinner, but repentant of my voluntary and involuntary sins. Protect me, Archangel Michael, from all visible and invisible enemies, and grant me your support so that I can resist the temptation of the devil. Help me keep my soul pure, so that I will not be ashamed to appear before the Lord Almighty at the hour of righteous Judgment. Amen".
Video: prayer - protection from enemies
A person who lives only by material interests and physical sensations does not think about such “abstract” questions as the existence of God, the existence of the spiritual world with good and evil spirits, or the afterlife. He is completely absorbed in his daily worries. But suddenly some unexpected shocks shake him up, and he begins to feel the need to comprehend his life and see the purpose of his existence. And so, when he thinks about the spiritual and moral side of life, he quickly becomes convinced that science, in which he still believed so much, is completely powerless to help him understand his most pressing and pressing issues.
If the religious feeling is not completely killed in him, then he will feel the need to turn to God, begin to pray and read the Holy Scriptures. And if this is not just a fleeting and superficial deviation, but a truly serious turning point in life, a sincere desire to become better, then God will begin to renew his heart and open new horizons to his inner gaze. A person will begin to clearly feel the leading hand of the Lord, His closeness and Fatherly love. He will begin to understand that the world is much wider and richer in content than he previously thought. He will become more sensitive to distinguish good from evil, will begin to realize that there is a spiritual world and invisible beings that influence his life: some in a good direction, others in a bad direction, that, besides God, there are angels and demons.
Getting to know the spiritual world is interesting and important. But how can you find out about it? The literature on this topic is very extensive, contradictory, filled with fiction and all kinds of fantasy. However, the teaching of Holy Scripture on this subject, although laconic, is very clear and precise. Holy Scripture teaches that there are bright and good angels and that every Christian has his own Guardian Angel. A special booklet is dedicated to angels (see missionary leaflet number 14, “Angels”).
Besides angels, there are demons. Holy Scripture and life experience convince us that they really exist and pose not an apparent, but a real and constant danger to everyone. Just as in human society, along with normal and well-intentioned people, there are all sorts of criminals, degenerates, psychopaths, sadists, and so on, so in the world of spirits, in addition to bright and good angels, there are “scum” of the spiritual world - the devil and demons. Just as in our world no one is born a criminal, a sadist or a debauchee, but becomes such as a result of his disordered and sinful activities, so in that invisible world all beings were at first kind and well-intentioned, and then some of them, having chosen an evil path, became corrupted and became consciously evil. Due to criminal activities, their angelic minds became darkened, and they became angry, impulsive and disorderly. They find pleasure in causing suffering to others and spreading all kinds of evil.
In this book we will introduce the reader to the Orthodox teaching about fallen angels, explain what goal they pursue, their methods of seducing people and sowing evil, and explain how to protect yourself from their machinations. We devote a special chapter to the topic of modern occultism and demonism, which are increasingly taking over human society. Watching with alarm the successes of modern “black spirituality”, the prediction of Scripture comes to mind: “Woe to those who live on earth and on the sea. Because he came to you in great rage, knowing that a little he still has time left" (). But the comforting thing is that the very success of the prince of darkness foreshadows the nearness of his complete defeat and punishment, when the Lord comes to earth again, surrounded by angels and saints. Then "the devil will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone... and he will be tormented there day and night forever and ever... Rejoice in this heaven, for judgment has been accomplished Yours above him! (). After the defeat of all the forces of the underworld, a new phase of existence will begin, and the righteous, who have overcome the temptations of the seducing spirit, will be enlightened like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.
Scripture on Evil Spirits
Holy Scripture teaches that in addition to the visible, material world, there is a huge and diverse spiritual world. This world is so different from ours and richer than it that we are not able to fully understand it or even satisfactorily imagine it. Nevertheless, despite the significant differences, the spiritual and physical worlds are to a certain extent in contact with each other. The spiritual world splits into two different and even opposite spheres of existence. One of them is called “Heaven” - this is the kingdom of light, where it reveals Its glory to the blessed spirits. Angels and souls of the righteous live there. The other sphere is hell - the kingdom of darkness and a place of suffering, where demons and souls of sinners are tormented. Demons, like angels, are not original. Although they are immortal, they are not eternal - only God is eternal. Long before the creation of our physical world, God created the spiritual world, populating it with angels - intelligent and good creatures, whom he endowed with reason, free will and various abilities, similar, but more perfect than ours.
At some period of its existence, obviously, even before the creation of our material world, a tragedy occurred in the angelic world. Some part of the angels, led by Lucifer, one of the angels close to God, disobeyed the Creator and caused a riot in the angelic world. The Apostle John the Theologian describes this event as follows: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon(devil) and the dragon and his angels fought against them. But they did not resist, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon, the ancient one, was cast down snake, who is also called Satan, who deceives the whole world, was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”(). The Lord only briefly mentions this event, saying that He “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning”(). The apostles Peter and Jude also very briefly mention this event, reporting only that some of the angels did not retain their dignity, but left the dwelling assigned to them. For this they were bound in bonds of eternal darkness, awaiting God's final judgment upon themselves (; ).
Note: On first reading the text just quoted, the reader may think that the war took place in the angelic world when the earth already existed. However, given that the book of Revelation often combines in one vision several events that are interconnected not by chronological sequence, but ideologically, it seems that the apocalyptic picture does not mean that the earth already existed when it fell away from God, but that war, which the devil is now waging with us on earth actually began in Heaven, and just as he lost that war, so he will lose the present war when the Lord comes and brings judgment on him.
From a comparison of various passages of Holy Scripture, it follows that the reason for the fall of Dennitsa was his pride (;). The Prophet Isaiah colorfully depicts the arrogance of Dennitsa when he depicts him in the image of a proud pagan ruler: “How you fell from the sky, Lucifer, son of the dawn! crashed to the ground, trampling the nations. And he said in his heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, at the edge of the north. I will ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. But you are cast into hell, into the depths of the underworld."(). This picture of Isaiah is complemented by the prophet Ezekiel, painting Dennitsa in the image of the proud Tyrian king: “You are the seal of perfection, the fullness of wisdom and the crown of beauty. You were in Eden, in the garden of God; your garments were adorned with all kinds of precious stones; ruby, topaz and diamond, peridot, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbunke and emerald and gold, all skillfully placed in your nests and strung on you, were prepared on the day of your creation. You were an anointed cherub to overshadow, and I appointed you to do so. You were on the holy mountain of God, walking among fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you. Because of the vastness of your trade, your inner being was filled with unrighteousness, and you sinned; and I cast you down as unclean, from the mountain of God I expelled you, the overshadowing cherub, from among the fiery stones. Because of your beauty your heart was lifted up, because of your vanity you destroyed your wisdom; therefore I will cast you to the ground, I will hand you over to shame before kings.” ().
Thus, one of the highest angels, the bearer of divine light, out of pride fell from the Source of Light and became darkness and a sower of darkness. He wanted to become equal to his Creator, to admire His glory and power, but he only discovered his insignificance and ingratitude. Powerless to give others anything truly valuable, he made lies his main weapon of seduction, so that lies seemed to become his essence. Everything he says, does and promises is the most blatant lie, although sometimes skillfully dressed in the toga of plausibility. Because he constantly lies, the Holy Scriptures call him Satan - which in Hebrew means slanderer. In Greek this corresponds to the name devil. His other names, such as: serpent, dragon, Beelzebeul, beliar, prince of darkness, prince of demons, adversary, prince of this world, enemy of the human race, evil one and the like - indicate his ferocity and the destructiveness of his activities. The angels who followed him are called demons, devils, unclean or evil spirits in Scripture.
Having lost access to Heaven, the devil focused all his attention on people - created pure and innocent. The details of the temptation of the first people are given in the third chapter of the book of Genesis. Realizing that Eve will be more pliable than Adam, the devil turns to her with a sly question: “Did God really forbid you to eat from every tree in paradise?” Eve, not noticing the deceit in this question, explains to the tempter what is allowed and what is forbidden to him. Having found a naive and talkative interlocutor in Eve, the devil begins to convince her and explains that God, out of envy, did not allow them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but if they listen to him, the snake, then they themselves will become like gods and know all the secrets. Having persuaded Eve to break the commandment of God, he uses her help to seduce Adam. Thus, the devil infects human nature with the deadly poison of sin. Pointing to this tragic moment in the life of our first parents, the Savior calls "a murderer from the beginning" ().
Having sinned, people lost the joy of communication with God and the opportunity to live in Eden. The balance between spiritual and physical forces in them was disrupted, they became morally weak and prone to sin. Having become sinners, they lost access to the tree of life and became mortal. The writer of the book “The Wisdom of Solomon” sees the devil as the root cause of all the misfortunes of mankind: “God created man for incorruptibility and made him the image of His eternal existence, but death entered the world through envy.” ().
Having struck naive people with his deadly sting, the serpent triumphed. But the Lord predicted to him that the war he had started was not over, but had just begun. He, the seducer of his wife, will one day himself be defeated by her Descendant: “I will put enmity between you and your wife, between the seed(offspring) yours and her Seed. It will bruise your head, and you will bruise its heel.”(). This remarkable prediction determined the further history of mankind, which essentially became a war between the seducing spirit and people seeking God. In the immediate sense, this prediction was fulfilled when the Lord, having suffered on the cross (having suffered a sting in the heel), crushed the head of the ancient dragon. Then on the cross the Lord “took away strength from the authorities and authorities[kingdoms of darkness], having imperiously subjected them to shame, having triumphed over them with Himself"(). In a broader sense, this prediction is fulfilled in the life of every Christian, when he, armed with the power of Christ, repels the tempter (), although sometimes, like Christ, he himself is also subjected to physical suffering.
Further narratives of the Old Testament Scripture say little about the devil. Nevertheless, they invariably portray him as a crafty seducer and a sower of all evil. So, for example, he struck righteous Job with fierce pus from head to toe (); he took possession of King Saul and tortured him (). The devil inspired David with the vainglorious idea of taking a census of his people (). The demon Asmodeus killed the husbands of Sarah, daughter of Raguel (). The evil spirit is depicted with the same properties of envy, cunning and deceit both in the book of Kings () and in the book of the prophet Zechariah ().
Considering the natural religiosity of humanity, the devil tries to pervert this religiosity and direct it towards superstition and fanaticism. It was he who taught people to idolize all kinds of false gods - the forces of nature, stars and planets, legendary heroes, animals, monsters and everything that could stir the imagination of primitive man. The pagans, darkened by superstitions, did not understand that by deifying various objects, they thereby pleased the demons, who accepted their honors as relating to them (;).
New Testament Scripture on Evil Spirits
The spread of idolatry and all kinds of superstitions at the time of the Nativity of Christ contributed to the excessive dominance of evil spirits in human society. An external indicator of this dominance was the presence of a large number of demoniacs - people possessed by evil spirits. Having come to our world out of pity for people, the Lord Jesus Christ first of all began to free them from violence (; ; ). On the pages of the Gospel the reader will find many cases of healing of demoniacs (; ; ). Cases of healing of a demon-possessed youth (), the daughter of a Canaanite woman () and two Gadarene demoniacs (,) are described in more detail than others. In the latter case, the remarkable thing is that a person was possessed not by one, but by a whole legion of demons, i.e. a huge variety of them.
A careful study of the Gospel stories about the healing of the possessed convinces us that they are not talking about epilepsy or other nervous diseases, but rather about the expulsion of completely real, although invisible, consciously evil beings who enjoy tormenting others.
In order to reveal to those who doubted the full ferocity of demons, the Lord once allowed them to move from a person to a herd of pigs that were grazing nearby. And then, before the eyes of the amazed crowd, a huge herd of enraged pigs rushed towards the cliff, rushed into the lake and drowned in it (). This fact alone of the instant transmigration of spirits from one being to another completely excludes any ordinary mental illness. Reading the Gospels and other accounts of exorcism, a number of specific symptoms of demonic possession emerge. Firstly, those possessed by demons show a specific negative reaction to everything sacred and Divine. So, for example, at the sight of Christ, the possessed began to convulse. Often the demons that had lodged themselves in an unfortunate person recognized Christ as the Son of God and, through the mouth of a demoniac, begged Christ to delay the punishment and not send them into the abyss (;). Moreover, during their conversation, the voice of the possessed man became unnatural, inhuman. It was clear to those around him that it was not the person speaking, but someone speaking through him. Finally, immediately after the departure of the demon, the former possessed people became normal people, and all signs of possession disappeared without a trace. These specific symptoms of possession can also be observed in modern demoniacs. If skeptics do not want to believe in miracles, then let them at least conclude from the behavior of the possessed that there really is a spiritual world. We will return to the topic of possession later.
Casting out demons by the apostles. Preparing the disciples for the upcoming mission of world preaching, the Lord, among other things, instructed them to continue the work of freeing people from the violence of the devil: “And He began to send them out two by two,[to cities and villages] and gave them power over unclean spirits to cast them out.”(; ; ). The apostles did not expect that unclean spirits would meekly obey their word, and therefore, returning after their first preaching journey, they joyfully told the Savior: “ Lord, even the demons obeyed us in Your name."(). Then the Lord confirmed even more definitely that He instructs them to drive away all unclean otherworldly forces: “Behold, I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.”(). Before His ascension into heaven, the Lord predicted that trampling upon the devil's power would be a distinctive feature of the Church: “These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons...”().
Indeed, the spread of the Gospel was invariably accompanied by the expulsion of unclean spirits. From the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, there are known cases of healing of the possessed by the Apostle Peter (); then - by the Apostle Philip, when “unclean spirits from many who were possessed by them came out with a great cry”(), then by the Apostle Paul, who expelled the prophetic spirit from one girl (). Moreover, the grace of God acted so abundantly at times that when, for example, things that belonged to the Apostle Paul were applied to the possessed, the demons came out of the sick ().
Since apostolic times, incantatory prayers against demons have become an indispensable part of the sacrament of Baptism. Nevertheless, although the Lord Jesus Christ defeated the prince of darkness, took away from him all power over people and gave the Church great power to fight him and his unclean spirits, it must be remembered that until the time of the Last Judgment of God, unclean spirits will represent each of We are in great and constant danger. For this reason, the Lord Jesus Christ taught us to constantly ask God: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” "Be sober, stay awake,- Apostle Peter calls on Christians, - for your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” ().
Having been cast out of Heaven, the devil and his demons concentrated their activities in an area close to us - in the so-called “air sphere.” The devil considers people who oppose the faith of Christ or live sinfully as his subjects and uses them to fight against. According to the word of the apostle, these people live “according to the will of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” ().
Now let's take a closer look at how the devil operates among people and what methods he uses. In particular, we will talk about demonization and obsession, about methods of seduction and enslavement of people through the occult and magic.
Possession and Possession
The Holy Scripture distinguishes demonic possession both from possession and from natural mental illnesses (; ; ). Due to the extreme complexity of human nature, it is difficult to accurately explain the essence of possession. It is clear, however, that it is different from simply demonic influence, in which a dark spirit tries to incline the will of a person to sin. Here a person retains power over his actions, and the temptation that finds him can be driven away by prayer. Possession is also different from that obsession in which the devil takes possession of the mind and will of a person.
Apparently, during demonic possession, an evil spirit takes over the nervous-motor system of the body - as if infiltrating between its body and soul, so that a person loses control over his movements and actions. It should be thought, however, that when possessed, the evil spirit does not have complete control over the powers of the soul of the possessed: they only turn out to be unable to manifest themselves. The soul remains to a certain extent capable of independently thinking and feeling, but is completely powerless to control the organs of the body.
If you imagine the soul as a pianist, and the body as a piano, then the evil spirit can be likened to an evil gorilla, getting between the pianist and his instrument and madly beating the keys. Without control of their body, the possessed are victims of an evil spirit that has enslaved them, and therefore are not responsible for their actions. They are slaves of the evil spirit.
Possession can take different external forms. Sometimes the possessed rage and destroy everything around them, terrifying those around them. At the same time, they often display superhuman strength, such as the Gadarene demoniac, who broke any chains with which they tried to bind him (). At the same time, the possessed cause all sorts of injuries to themselves, such as, for example, the possessed youth who threw himself into the fire and into the water on new moons (). But often demonic possession is expressed in a quieter form, when people temporarily lose their natural abilities. So, for example, the Gospels tell about a demon-possessed mute who, as soon as the Lord freed him from the demon, began to speak normally again; or, for example, a crumpled woman who was able to straighten up after the Lord freed her from the devil. The unfortunate woman was in a bent position for 18 years ().
In some cases, the possessed exhibit the ability of clairvoyance and divination. So, for example, from the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles there is a case of a girl-soothsayer who brought considerable income to her masters by predicting the future for people. When the Apostle Paul cast out the demon from her, she lost this ability (). Although demonic possession began to disappear with the spread of the Christian faith, it still exists today.
What leads to demonic possession and who gives the right to an evil spirit to take possession of a person and torment him? According to Professor Kurt Koch, a German pastor who devoted more than 40 years of his life to the problem of possession and wrote a number of major studies on this topic, in all cases known to him, the cause of possession was a passion for the occult: or the person himself at some point in his life was involved in the occult, or he sought the services of occultists, or someone in his family had previously been involved in this. By occultism we mean such activities as evoking spirits, spiritualism, fortune telling and turning to fortune tellers, yoga, psychic treatment, white and black magic, and in general activities in which a person turns to the services of fallen spirits (albeit not consciously). Thus, people involved in the occult endanger not only themselves, but also their children and grandchildren.
In our time, a time of retreat from Christianity and an ever-increasing passion for the occult, more and more people are beginning to fall under the violence of evil spirits. True, psychiatrists are embarrassed to admit the existence of demons and, as a rule, demon possession is classified as a natural mental illness. But a believer must understand that no medicines or psychotherapeutic agents can drive away evil spirits. The power of God is needed here.
Here are the distinctive signs of possession, which distinguish it from natural mental illnesses.
Aversion to everything sacred and related to God: Holy Communion, cross, Bible, holy water, icon, prosphora, incense, prayer, etc. Moreover, the possessed feel the presence of a sacred object even when it is hidden from their sight: it irritates them, makes them sick, and even leads them into a state of violence.
Voice change
Clairvoyance
Demons do not know the future, just as angels do not know it: it is known only to the Lord God. However, demons know the past and see the present to a greater extent than ordinary people. Being spirits, they can almost instantly tell the clairvoyant what is happening somewhere far away, even in another part of the world, so that the listeners may seem as if the clairvoyant knows the future. When a clairvoyant predicts the future, it is always just guesswork. Demons, having extensive life experience and knowing many more people, are sometimes able to quite successfully foresee what will happen. Of course, they are often wrong. In addition, sometimes their predictions come true not because this is exactly what was destined to happen, but because the person himself, having inspired himself with something related to his future, begins to subconsciously strive for it and thereby contributes to the fulfillment of what was predicted.
Sudden cure
It may take a psychiatrist several years to cure his mentally ill patient. Liberation from the demon occurs instantly, after which all signs of demonic possession disappear, and the person becomes normal.
Sudden relocation
There is a danger that the evil spirit that dwelt in the possessed person may suddenly move either into the one who is trying to cast him out, or into members of his family. This symptom is distinct from the danger of "contamination" to which doctors and psychiatrists are exposed. It is known that people who constantly deal with mentally ill people may themselves begin to discover various mental abnormalities. At the same time, the patient himself does not receive any relief from the fact that his doctor has become “infected.” In cases of demonic transmigration, the formerly possessed person is completely freed from possession, and another person just as suddenly falls under the influence of this spirit.
Although the Lord Jesus Christ gave His disciples powerful means for casting out demons, not every person should undertake this task. One striking fact regarding unclean spirits is clear from the New Testament Scriptures, namely, that they absolutely cannot resist the name of Christ: the Lord Jesus Christ has absolute and irresistible power over them. Even during the earthly life of the Savior, the apostles drew attention to the fact that some person was casting out demons in the name of Christ. Confused, they told Christ about this and asked permission to prohibit the stranger from using His name. But the Lord answered them: “Do not forbid, for whoever is not against you is for you.”(). Obviously, this stranger sincerely believed in Christ, although he kept himself aloof.
However, it is dangerous for an ordinary person to enter into a fight with unclean spirits, even having weapons in the name of Christ. The Book of Acts tells of the enormous impression that the apostles performed miracles in the name of Christ and, in particular, casting out demons, made on everyone. And so, the sons of a certain Jewish priest Sceva, themselves not Christians, but engaged in spells for income, wanted to try the new method used by the apostles. And so they began to call on the name of Christ in order to drive out an evil spirit from some demoniac. Suddenly the demoniac said to them: “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”() And he immediately rushed at the spellcasters and, defeating them, took such power over them that they ran out of that house naked and beaten.
From this case it should be concluded that the name of Christ must be invoked with great faith and reverence - for the sake of a person’s salvation, and not for practical purposes or out of vanity. At the same time, it is extremely important to be protected by the power of Christ, which comes from the Christian lifestyle. In general, the task of casting out demons is best left to people authorized to do this - priests, bishops, spiritual elders. Here any personal enthusiasm and daring are extremely dangerous. The devil is a very dangerous and insidious enemy. A person who arrogantly enters into an open struggle with him can pay very dearly for his frivolity.
Possession differs from demonic possession in that during possession the devil takes possession of the very mind and will of a person. When possessed, the devil enslaves a person’s body, but his mind and will remain relatively free, although powerless. Of course, the devil cannot enslave our mind and will by force. He achieves this gradually, as the person himself, through his aversion from God or sinful life, falls under his influence. We see an example of devilish possession in Judas the traitor. Gospel Words: “Satan entered into Judas”() - they are not talking about demonic possession, but about enslaving the will of the traitorous student. At first, Judas joined the apostles out of a good and selfless motive. But he soon grew cold towards Christ and became disillusioned with the expediency of his mission. So that his labors would not be completely wasted, he began to secretly reward himself from the general treasury, into which good people donated for the needs of the apostles and to help the poor. He himself did not notice how gradually the devil darkened his consciousness and began to guide his will. Finally, at the Last Supper, the devil completely took possession of the unfortunate disciple and dragged him first to vile betrayal and then to suicide.
We see another example of devilish possession in the Jewish leaders and scribes who were at enmity against Christ. Whatever He said, they disputed and rejected everything; whatever He did, the greatest and noblest, they condemned and ridiculed. These proud people did not see how the devil took possession of their consciousness and will in order to hinder the work of saving humanity. That is why the Lord said to them: "Your father and you want to do the lusts of your father"(). There have been many such fighters against God throughout the history of the Church, especially during the days of the revolution in our long-suffering homeland.
The main method of the devil, with which all his activities and essence are permeated, is a lie - everywhere and always a lie - the most blatant and shameless, but often skillfully seasoned with grains of truth, for greater plausibility! That's why the Lord characterized him "liar and father of lies" ().
The devil tries to distort everything beyond recognition in our minds: he presents a small failure as a great, irreparable tragedy; and insignificant pleasure or temporary gain is the most important thing, almost the goal of life. By forcing us to sin, he reassures us with the thought that this is a completely natural and forgivable weakness. And when a person sins, then the devil plunges him into despondency and inspires him that he has forever angered the Creator and therefore it is useless to repent. The devil convinces a person who indulges in any passion that he is too weak to try to improve. And the devil tries to persuade a person who leads a holy lifestyle to pride. He presents the ravings of philosophers and various religious fabrications as wonderful revelations, and the teaching of the Gospel as boring and strange. He tries to seduce a person who strives for spiritual life with all his might through pride and arrogance. Sometimes he even appears in the form of a bright angel or Christ Himself, so that he begins to think of himself that he is better than others (). In the lives of saints one can find many stories about how with such visions he seduced ascetics who had reached great spiritual heights.
Breathing an indomitable thirst for power, the devil spares neither effort nor time to turn every natural weakness of a person into an indomitable and disgusting passion. He wants man to completely defile himself and become worse than an animal. Then, through the devil, he gains power over him and makes him his slave and obedient instrument.
But thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ, this power of the devil is fragile, and his iron chains are weaker than a spider’s web. It is enough for a sinner to turn to God in repentance, and all the power of the devil falls apart like a house of cards. “For this purpose the Son of God appeared, to destroy the works of the devil.”(). It is the Lord who is the Strongest, Who bound the strong and plundered his vessels (). Therefore, let us hasten to the Savior for help and protection. With strong faith and a virtuous life we will resist the fallen spirit, and as promised, it will run away from us ().
The temptation of the occult
“The Spirit speaks clearly that in the last times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.” ().
Like a child to its mother, a person instinctively reaches out to God - especially in difficult moments of life. In God he sees his Heavenly Father, Who wishes him well and can do even the impossible. The Lord Jesus Christ promised: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”(). Who asks for physical healing, for help in work, for strengthening the family, for the welfare of children; who - about strengthening faith, learning to pray, about acquiring the Holy Spirit - each to the extent of his spiritual level. He accepts the prayers of all who turn to Him with sincere and ardent faith.
So, while a healthy religious life enlightens and morally ennobles a person, unhealthy pseudo-religious occult activity morally cripples and destroys him. All types of occultism certainly lead to communication with fallen spirits. And although at first these activities bring success in business and create the impression that they open up unlimited opportunities for a person, in the end a person has to pay very dearly for the services received from fallen spirits. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? or what ransom will a man give for his soul?” ().
Means of protection from evil spirits
It is difficult for a person to imagine how fierce and insidious fallen spirits are, how restless and inventive they are in seducing people and in sowing all kinds of evil. But with all this, they do not dare to arbitrarily cause harm to anyone, since he is under the protection of the Almighty. Only when a person, through his sinful lifestyle, moves away from God and plunges into the darkness of unbelief and passions, does he fall under the sphere of influence of fallen spirits who enslave him. Unbelievers and sinners are the material, the army that the devil uses to spread temptations and evil in human society and establish his kingdom of darkness. His kingdom, like a stormy sea, surrounds us on all sides and threatens our salvation.
In contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ created His Kingdom of Light on earth - in which the believer finds a quiet island, a safe haven and protection from evil spirits. Indeed, the very entry into the Church during the sacrament of Baptism is accompanied by special incantatory prayers, which the priest reads over the catechumen (preparing for baptism):
“O Jehovah, Master Lord, You, freeing this Thy servant from slavery to the enemy, accept him into Your Heavenly Kingdom... Combine him with the life of a bright angel, delivering him from all the machinations of the enemy, from meeting the evil one, from the midday demon and from evil dreams . Drive out from him every evil and unclean spirit hiding and nesting in his heart - the spirit of delusion, the spirit of wickedness, the spirit of idolatry and all lust, the spirit of lies and all uncleanness, acting at the suggestion of the devil. And make Thy servant a verbal sheep of Thy holy flock of Christ, an honest member of Thy Church, a sanctified vessel, a son of light and an heir of Thy Kingdom.”
Then, by three times immersion in water, the newly baptized person is cleansed from the filth of sin, which gave the devil access to him, and is clothed with the grace of God, which, like a bright robe, covers him on all sides (;). From this moment, a new member of the Church, in figurative likeness of the Savior, enters the fence of the sheepfold, which He, the Good Shepherd, vigilantly guards from predatory wolves - the devil and other fallen spirits. The Savior said about this: “I give to them (believers) eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”(). Therefore, all that a baptized person needs to remain under the protection of the Lord is to avoid sins and preserve the received grace of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus Christ has armed us with a number of means that attract the grace of God to us and repel evil spirits. This includes, firstly, invoking the name of Christ. We are taught to ask Heavenly Father daily: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (the devil). Many prayers, such as morning and evening prayers, contain petitions for protection from the wiles of the devil (see prayer book). At the end of this chapter the reader will find several special prayers against evil spirits. The Lord said about the power of His name: “In My name you will cast out demons”(). The Holy Scriptures and the lives of saints provide countless examples of the effectiveness of the name of Christ in driving out demons.
The centuries-old experience of the Church convinces us that demons cannot resist the image of the holy cross and the sign of the cross - they are for them like fire for insects. Rev. Nikita Skifat speaks on this topic: “Demons often disturb the emotional feeling and take away sleep, but a courageous soul with one life-giving image of the Cross and an invocation of the name of Jesus Christ, with the help of God, destroys their ghosts and puts them to flight.”(Philokalia, vol. 2 p. 118). Likewise, St. John Chrysostom explains: “You should not just depict the Cross with your fingers, but with heartfelt affection and complete faith. If you portray it on your face like this, then not one of the unclean spirits will be able to approach you, seeing the sword with which he was wounded and received a mortal wound. After all, if we look with trepidation at the places where criminals are executed, then imagine how horrified the demons are when they see the weapon with which Christ destroyed all their strength and cut off the head of the serpent. When we have the Cross with us, then demons are no longer scary and dangerous.”(Gospel Conversations, part 2, ed. 5, pp. 432–433). Since ancient times, it has become a custom for Christians to wear a cross on their body.
It is also important to consecrate your apartment. Sometimes the house we move into may be desecrated by the previous occupants if they lived sinfully, used foul language, were into loud music and bad movies, or were involved in the occult. Often evil spirits take up residence in homes where a murder or suicide has occurred. To cleanse your home, you should sprinkle it with holy water, reading the appropriate prayers, or even better, invite a priest to consecrate the apartment.
In general, we must remember that demons are attracted to . If, having sinned, we did not repent with all our hearts, then this gives demons access to us. A sinful state is like a tunnel through which they penetrate to our subconscious and influence us. Therefore, in order to get rid of their influence, one should cleanse oneself with sincere repentance and confession, after which one should reverently partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Then, having entered into us, the Lord, like an all-consuming fire, will destroy all filth and cut off access to us from dark spirits. It is good to accustom ourselves to receive communion regularly, at least once a month, then we will constantly carry within us the fire of God’s grace. Christians of the first centuries took communion every Sunday.
All these means that the Lord Jesus Christ gave us for salvation and attracting His grace must be looked at not as magical formulas, but as conductors of God’s mercy, given to us to strengthen our faith and for confirmation in a virtuous life.
Here are some prayers against unclean spirits.
Troparion to the Life-Giving Cross
In Church Slavonic
Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance; giving victory to the Orthodox Christian against the resistance and preserving Your residence through Your cross.
Russian translation
Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance. Grant to Orthodox Christians victory over their enemies and protect those who belong to You with the Cross.
Prayer to the Holy Cross (read before bed)
That will be the time when Satan, hitherto restrained by the power of the risen Christ, will for a short time receive a certain freedom to deceive people who have turned away from God. The Book of Revelation in the 20th chapter denotes the entire period of time from the resurrection of Christ to the end of the world with the symbolic number of a thousand years. The Apostle John saw in a prophetic vision “An angel descending from heaven, who had the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He took the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and put a seal over him, so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After this he must be freed for a short time... And he will go out to deceive the nations...”(). According to the holy fathers, the “binding of the dragon” refers to the moment of the resurrection of Christ, when Satan lost his former power over sinners redeemed by the blood of Christ, and found himself limited, “fettered” in his activities in the world. A thousand years embraces the entire period from the resurrection of Christ until the time before the end of the world, when Satan, taking advantage of people’s apostasy from the faith, will again gain power over them - but for a very short time. Then, according to the figurative vision of the book of Revelation, his spirits, like hellish locusts, will fill the very atmosphere that people breathe, i.e. penetrate into all aspects of public life: “And smoke came out of the pit of the deep, like smoke from a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the vault. And the locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and they were given the power that the scorpions of the earth have... And over them they had the angel of the abyss as their king.[devil], whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon (destroyer) ... Woe to those who live on earth, because the devil has come down to you in great rage, knowing that he does not have much time left!” ().
In a hurry to destroy the maximum number of people, the devil will transfer all his power to the Antichrist (the world ruler and enemy of Christianity), “whose coming will be according to the work of Satan with all power, and signs, and lying wonders.”(). His main assistant, the False Prophet, will deceive people with various false miracles and “to perform great signs, so that fire comes down from heaven to earth in the presence of men”). But this will only be external and apparent success. She herself will remain unshakable, as the Lord promised: “I will create mine, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”(). Under the Antichrist, it will only go underground.
But the very success of the devil in those times will foreshadow his imminent and final death. The ancient prophecies will finally come true: “On that day the Lord will smite with his heavy sword, and great and strong, leviathan the upright running serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent, and he will slay the monster of the sea.”(). The occultist John the Theologian saw in a prophetic vision how "the beast was captured[Antichrist] and with him the false prophet, who performed miracles before him... and both were thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone... After this... the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and will be tormented day and night forever and ever" ().
Such is the complete and all-crushing end of the proud Lucifer, the spirits who retreated with him and their entire dark kingdom! With their overthrow into Gehenna, all temptations, violence, lies and all evil in the world will end and the eternal bliss of the saved will begin. This joyful time is approaching, but we must be especially vigilant in our devotion to Christ and force ourselves to burn with faith, lest we be carried away by the stream of temptations that Satan will send against humanity on the eve of his complete defeat. “To him who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” ().
Conclusion
So, the devil and demons are real, not imaginary creatures who pose a great and constant danger to us. Although they do not have power over believers in Christ, they take advantage of the sinfulness of people to enslave them and push them to various crimes. Therefore, we must beware of sins in every possible way and try to live righteously and holy. We must remember that fallen spirits are very skillful in seducing people and have vast experience. They direct all their time and efforts to lead us away from the Lord and destroy us. The Lord limits their activities and protects us from their wiles. However, He allows them to seduce us for our own spiritual benefit, so that we do not be lazy, but live vigilantly and grow spiritually.
The Lord Jesus Christ gave us powerful means to repel evil spirits: His Name, prayer, the Cross, holy water and especially Holy Communion. Let us use these means and live for good until we reach the quiet haven of the Kingdom of Heaven! Amen.
Application
A Warning to Exorcists
Based on an article by Alexei Osipov, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy.
Just as no one should treat dangerous infections without the necessary knowledge and precautions, no one should arrogantly take on the role of an exorcist (professional exorcist of demons). Demons are extremely insidious and vengeful, and a person who enters into a duel with them, if not armed with deep faith, humility and the grace of the Holy Spirit, can pay very painfully.
Probably for this reason the Council of Laodicea (364) decided: “Those not authorized by bishops should not conjure in churches or in houses.”(Project 26). The Monk John Cassian the Roman warns self-proclaimed miracle workers: “Whoever wants to command unclean spirits, or miraculously give health to the sick, or show any of the wondrous signs before the people, although he calls on the name of Christ, he is alien to Christ, because, in arrogant pride, he does not follows the Teacher of humility... That is why our fathers never called those monks good and free from the infection of vanity who wanted to be known as exorcists...”
“Apostolic Decrees” (III century) prohibit the provision of exorcists, citing the fact that “the glorious feat of exorcism is a matter of the voluntary favor and grace of God through Christ, by the influx of the Holy Spirit, because he who has received the gift of healing shows through revelations from God, and grace, which is in him is obvious to everyone.” .
The Orthodox Church has always followed the teachings of the Savior that “This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting”() - that is, the correct ascetic life, thanks to which a Christian, with humility, achieves dispassion and receives from God the gift of defeating evil spirits. Only one who has achieved dispassion is able to enter into an open struggle with the spirits of darkness without harm to the sick and to himself. However, there were only a few of these in ancient times, and there is no need to talk about the present time. Therefore, a priest, even the most pious, but daring to expel (reprimand) evil spirits with the help of special prayers and sacred rites (“ex opere operate”), risks not only exposing himself to reproach from them, but also plunging the demoniac into even greater illness and suffering. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit, one cannot create the appearance of His gift working. Saint Ignatius exclaimed with bitterness about such attempts: “Soul-destructive acting and the saddest comedy are the elders who take on the role of the ancient holy Elders, without their spiritual gifts.”
There were saints who cast out demons - but not from everyone, but only from those whom the Lord Himself pointed out to them. At the same time, they healed “simply” with prayer, mostly internal, invisible to others, less often - external (see, for example, the prayers of Saints Basil the Great, John Chrysostom), performing the sacraments of Repentance, Unction, Eucharist, but without any special incantatory rites , since this is already performed on all believers before the sacrament of Baptism and is part of their act of conscious renunciation of Satan and all his works.
Here are several statements of the holy fathers on this issue.
In the message “On Virginity” under the name of St. Clement of Rome, ascetics are instructed to “...visit those possessed by evil spirits and perform prayers over them. Let them conjure with fasting and prayer, not with red, selective and refined words, but as men who have received the gift of healing from God.”
Abba Pitirion “discussed with particular force about the discernment of spirits, saying that some demons observe our passions and often turn them to evil. So, children, he told us, whoever wants to cast out demons must first enslave passions: for whatever passion someone conquers, he will cast out such a demon. Little by little you must enslave your passions in order to drive out the demons of these passions.”
Venerable Barsanuphius the Great: “It is not good to pray with effort to receive healing, not knowing what is good for you.” He: “It is not proper for everyone to contradict the devil, but only for those who are strong about God, to whom demons obey; If one of the weak contradicts, the demons scold him because, being in their power, he contradicts them. Also, to forbid them is the job of great men who have power over them. How many of the Saints forbade the devil, like Michael the Archangel, who did this because he had a fall? We, the weak, can only resort to the name of Jesus.”
St. John the Prophet, in response to a request to pray for a demoniac: “Let him himself fast and pray as much as he can, then those who pray for him will be heard, for “The mighty one of righteousness can do much” (13 .
The above statements of the saints eloquently testify to their attitude towards the issue of healing the possessed, which is so serious for our people.
Chastisement is a phenomenon of the same spiritual order as the so-called Pentecostalism, charismaticism, the “new age” movement, which are currently widespread throughout the heterodox West, and in the secular environment - the so-called extrasensory perception. All this cripples both the souls and bodies of people.
The magical perception of the cult is one of the main reasons for the degeneration of the Christian religion, its distortions, the reason for the growth of paganism, especially atheism, occultism and Satanism.
Sermon by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' on Holy Saturday after the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, I congratulate everyone on the great day - Happy Saturday!
The Lord is in the grave, but by His Divine power He descends into hell. We cannot understand what this means because hell and the afterlife are beyond our human experience. Throughout history, the truth that Christ touched the very depths of evil after His death has been portrayed in different ways by artists, creating beautiful works, sung by poets in different ways, and spoken about by the Holy Fathers and theologians in different ways.
However, the truth remains the truth in a way incomprehensible to us. The deceased Savior descended into the very center of evil. Not on Golgotha, where evil was revealed through people with all their limitations, with all their weakness, with all their inconstancy. They shouted “Crucify!”, shouted “Wa! He who destroys the church and builds it up in three days! Come down from the cross and we will believe in You” (see Matt. 27:40; Mark 15:29) - but all this was so limited, so humanly petty in relation to the mystery that was accomplished on the Cross. However, on Holy Saturday something happened that we do not know about. We don’t know how this happened or what it means, but God came into contact not with limited human evil, but with absolute, powerful evil and saved the righteous from the power of this evil.
We can only thank God that through His Son, our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, all this happened - His suffering, the Cross, and death. And we thank the Lord precisely because tonight we will celebrate His Resurrection, which is a victorious point not only in the Gospel story, but also in the history of the entire human race.
Through participation in divine services, through prayer, through reading the Holy Scriptures, with our minds and hearts we touch the mystery of our salvation, the mystery of delivering us from the powerful force of evil. Joy in the Risen Savior must be combined with this awareness of the great Divine action that relates to each of us. After all, each of us suffers from evil, so we sometimes grumble—both at God and at our lives, not understanding where all these troubles come from, not understanding what the power of evil means. Today, like the coming night, reveals to us the Divine plan, which includes the victory of God, and therefore of all who believe in Him and who call on His name over all evil and all unrighteousness.
Happy upcoming holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, I congratulate you all!
